“OVER THERE” BY GEORGE M. COHANwillishistory.weebly.com/uploads/2/5/2/6/25266702/... · these ”Doughboys” were sent to France In the end, the American Expeditionary Force

“OVER THERE” BY GEORGE M. COHAN

UNIT 4 - DAY 2

“OVER THERE”

LET’S FIRST TAKE A LOOK AT

AMERICA’S

MILITARY

RAISING AN ARMY

Only 200K men in army, trainees had no real weapons to train with

The American military was under-manned and ill-equipped for WWI

SELECTIVE SERVICE ACTrequired young men to register for military service via a draft lottery

mass productionfactories converted assembly lines to make military goods in great #sCONVOY SYSTEMnavy destroyers escorted cargo ships, cutting losses to sub attacks in half

24 mil registered, 3 mil were called, army remained segregated

led by Gen. John “Black Jack” Pershing, these ”Doughboys” were sent to France

In the end, the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) was ready for combat!

New Weaponsera of mechanized warfare begins w/ tanks, airplanes, machine gunshorrors of war

the AEF fought as a separate army from the other allied forces

AMERICANS IN THE FIGHT

AMERICAN HEROISM

Naive US soldiers suffered “shell shock”, trench foot, trench mouth, dysentery

alvin york, eddie rickenbacker

now, what about

WAR ON THE

HOMEFRONT

wilson sent his powers to various agencies

To deal w/ unprecedented war needs, Congress gave POTUS new economic powers

applied price controls to inputs, kept costs low, oversaw

reduction in waste & mass prod.

THE WAR ECONOMY

WAR INDUSTRIES BOARD (WIB)

rationed gasoline & coal, instituted “Daylight saving time”

Fuel administration

Urged days w/o wheat, meat, sugar, & encouraged “Victory

Gardens”

food administration improved factory conditions, banned child labor, settled labor disputes by threatening to send

workers to the war

National war Labor Board

however, the wealth was unevenly divided

America grew enormously wealthy during the war

high demand for war supplies meant high prices, big sales, huge profits

prosperity during wwi

corporations

stock values rise 1000s of %

with high prices, farmers made profits, bought more land, planted more crops

farmers

wages ROSE, income ROSE, but prices SPIKED, so families didn’t benefit much

average americans

% Inc

rease

0%

Inflation

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920

income

also...

ATTACK ON

CIVIL

LIBERTIES

American society turned on its own and its Constitution during the war

Anti-immigrant hysteriaeastern Europeans (germanic) faced suspicion of treachery, faced prejudice

espionage and sedition actsmade it illegal to criticize the government and/or war effortlike Alien/Sedition Acts (1789), these acts violated 1st Amendment

INTOLERANCE & SUSPICION

german music/food/books were banned, German names changed

both laws targeted socialists & labor

and lastly...

MINORITIES

AND WOMEN

DURING WWI

SOCIAL CHANGE AT HOMEBoth African-Americans and women were affected greatly by WWI

THE GREAT MIGRATIONblacks were leaving the south & moving to northern cities in millions

women in the workforcew/ men away at war, women filled their factory jobs at lower wagestheir work in blue-collar jobs gave support and credibility to the Women’s Suffrage movement

they filled factory jobs, fled racial discrimination, agricultural servitude

1) The US military buildup for WWI

2) America’s wartime economy

3) Attacks on civil liberties

CLOSURE

Write THREE things you

learned today about: